Motor-operated shaver



Sept. 13, 1938. F. PARHAM i y MOTOR OPERATED SHAVR 2r Sheets-Sheet l Filed Jan. 21, 1937 v Q i Sept 13, 1938. F. PARHAM i 2,130,311

MOTOR OPERATED SHAVER Filed Jan. 2l, 1937'k 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l sa a 3642?l 14 as Y l of stubble showing.

3@ One object ofthe invention is Another Patented sepa- 13, 193s UNITED STATE noron-orsaa'rnnsnavna l Fletcher L. Parham, Akron, Ohio application Jaim-y 2 1, 1937, sex-isi No. 121,551

eenima`(cl.so41) f Y y Y of frequent cleaning ofthe shearing cutters or This linvention relates to apparatus for shaving and has particular relation to motor-operated shavers.

Heretofore, numerous motoreop'erated shavers 5 have been placed on the market, but nonefhave been entirely satisfactory for various reasons.v One of the principal dimculties encountered in the use of the present types of motor-'operated shavers is that, due to the tendency of the beard,

for example, to incline angularly of the sinn surface in the direction of the normal shaving stroke, the hairs either do not come into the path of the shearing cutters at all or the final result is an unevenly trimmed beard with ugly patches Another diiculty is experienced with the present types 9i motor-operated shavers in that, due to the amount of pressure necessarily Fapplied to the skin surface in attempting to get a close shave, and due also to the v20 presence of sharp .portions at the leading edges 25ct infection. Because of these and other'objectionable features it has heretofore beenpractically impossible to get a clean, close shave with any of the present types of motor-operated Shavers. i to providemeans in a motor-operated shaver whereby the hairs normally tending to incline angularly witherespect to the surface of the skin will be automat- Another object of this invention is to providee. motor-operated shaver .which will automaticaly stretch the skin surface, and, by attening the mounds around the pores thereof, shear of! the ,m hair at a point which is normally beneath the skin level, thereby obviating the necessity of either applying hand Apressure to the shaver or of endeavoring to stretch the skin .with the free y hand. Y

object of the invention is to provide' a' motor-operated shaver in which the necessity e of having. abrupt leading edges on cutters-has been obv'iated, thereby eliminating thedanger of infection by reason of the tendency s@ of sharp leading edges to rupture the skinaround j the pores..,..

A nother vobject of the invention is to provide a motor-operated shaver havingmeans whereby the sheared hairs are carried away froml the c5 .shearing-cutters, thereby obviating the necessity the shearing the cutter head. i

Another object of the invention is to provide means in a motor-operated shaver whereby the sheared' hairs may be stored for future convenient disposal thereof., thus eliminating the litter usually attending the use of a motor-operated shaver. r

Another object of the invention is to provide means in a motor-operated shaver for maintaining suction in the cutter-head thereof and utiliz-l ing said suction for cooling the shearing' cutters.

Another object ofthe invention is to provide cooling means for the motor of a motor-operated shaver,` said cooling means being'utilized Vfrom a suction created in the cutterhead.`

Another object of the invention is to provide al motor-operated shaverof'the character described which can be economically manufactured and which is of suchcompact construction as to be easily handled bythe user. I s

'Ihese and other objects are attained by means of the apparatus illustrated in the. accompanyin'g drawings and described below. `It is -to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specic form thereof shown and described.

0f the accompanying drawings:

Figure 'l is a plan view cfa motor-operated shaver embodying the invention.

.Figure 2` is an elevation of such a shaver.-

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-section taken on the line 3 -3 of Figure 2.

'Figure 4 is an enlarged'cross-section taken on vthe line 4 4 of Figure l.

'Figure 5 is an enlarged end view taken' vsubstantially on .the line. 5 5 of Figure v3. l Figure 6 is a fragmentary cross-section, greatly enlarged, illustrating application of the shearing head to the skin. but before pulling action has been applied to the skin and hairs thereon.

Figure 'I is a view similar to Figure 6 after pulling action has been applied.

Referring toFigures 1 to 5, inclusive, of the drawings, i0 is a casing of'suitablematerial. and of suitable shape andweightfor easy grip in the hand. The casing may comprise of a lower chambered portion Il and a cover I2 secured thereto by means of screws I3," I3. Within a large chamber I4 inthe casing I0 there may be mounted a suitable motor or motivating unit l5, such as an electric motor, which may have a centrally driven shaft l5 mounted longitudinally of Removably mounted in a grooved portion I1, at the enlarged end of the casing I3, there may be a cutter-head I8, a set screw I3 being provided to hold the latter in a fixed position. The cutterhead may comprise an outer relatively xed shearing-cutter member 23, and a cooperating inner reciprocating or oscillating shearing-cutter member 2 I. Other forms of movable cutters may be used within the spirit of the present invention.

The outer shearing-cutter member 28 is essentially hollow and comprises a comparatively thick base portion 22, upper and lower walls 23, 23 converging therefrom to join an outer shearing plate '24, the latter being quite thin, a wall 25 closing one end and a plate 26 to close the other end. The plate 26 may be removably secured to the outer shearing cutter 23l by means of a screw 21 secured in the base portion 22. The Ashearing plate 24, for certain purposes of the invention,

.subsequently to be described, may be concave on the outer face thereof. Shearing plate 24 may be provided with a series of openings, such as narrow slots 28, 28 extending in parallel relation vertically across the face of the plate and terminating at points a short distance back of the surface of the skin, as for example the mounds around the pores.

Slidably mounted within the outer shearing cutter 20 is the inner shearing-cutter member 2I. The latter comprises arelatively thick base portion 30, and top and bottom walls 3I, 3| converging therefrom to join an inner shearing plate 32. The outer faces of the walls 3i, 3I and the shearing plate 32 fit snugly against the corresponding inner faces of the outer shearing cutter 20. On the inner cutter 2| there may be a series of openings, such as narrow slots 33, 33 corresponding to the openings `28, 28 in the outer shearing cutter 20thereby providing a series of cutting blades 33, 33n corresponding to the'cutting blades 28, 28* on said shearing cutter 20.

For the purpose of urging the inner shearing cut-- ter 2I outwardly against the outer shearing cutter 20 there may be provided spring-pressed balls 34, 34 in Athe base 22 of the outer cutter 20, which.

ride freely on the inner surface of the base 33 of said cutter 2l whilethe latter is being recip-l rocated. An oblong opening 35 may be provided in the base 30 of the cutter 2 I, adapted to receiveJ ed to the shaver in various ways, it is preferable to build such a means into the shaver itself. To

Y this end there may be a chamber 31, provided in the shaver; which is air tight except for an opening 38 in the wall of the casing I0 adjacent the cutter head I8, and a passage 33 in the conduit of creating a suction within the cutter-head I 3. An l opening 42 in the vbase 22 of the outer cutter the cutter-head with the fan.

The rush of air created by the suction-fan 4I obviously will have the eifect of keeping the cutter-head I8 cool as well as to keep the motor-unit I cool by said rush vof air passing through the chamber 31 and conduit 40.

If it is so desired a suitable receptacle, such as the vacuum bag 44, may be'removably secured to the end of the conduit 43 for the purpose of collecting and storing the sheared hairs until they can be conveniently disposed of. This bag may be of the porous type commonly used in vacuum cleaners and may be provided at its outer end with a suitable spring clip 45 so it can be partially v 20. and plurality of openings 43, 43 in the base A 33 of the inner cutter 2l are provided to connect supported in unfolded condition by the connecting cord I5.

In actual use the shaver herein described and illustrated is held at right angles to the surface of the skin, with the outer shearing plate 24 pressing gently against the skin, as shown in Figures .6 and '1. With the motor I5 running to drive the shaft I6, thereby operating the fan 4I to create a suction through the slots in the cutter headv I8, as well as to cause a rapid reciprocating shearing action of the inner shearing cutter, the shaver is stroked gentlyback and forth along the surface. of the skin, preferably in a direction Y* in line with the slots in the cutter-head I8.

Due to various causes, the hairs and mounds surrounding the pores of the skin become flattened. This is true particularly in the case of the hairs of the beard which generally assume an inclination to the surface' of the skin, in the direc- 'tion of the normal stroke of an ordinary blade razor for example. The suction created by the fan 4I drawing air through the slots in the cutter head I8 tends to draw the flattened hairs from their angular positions, through the slots in the head I8 to straight positions in the path of the shearing cutters. By using a concave cutter head, the skin is drawn into the cavity of the head (see Figures 6 and '1) stretching the skin'between the edges of the cutter head. This stretching of the skin tends to flatten the mounds of the skin surface and widen the gap between the individual hairs thereby decreasing the depth of the pore cavities from which the hairs grow, thus making it possible for the shearing cutters 2.0 and 2I to -shear the individual hairs at points which would normally lie beneath the outer surface' of the skin, asis best illustrated in Figure 7. Figure 6 shows the cutters 23 and 2l being applied to the skin surface, but without suction. Figure 'I is a similar view, but with suction applied, illustrating the manner in which the skin is stretched and the hairs drawn into the path of the cutters. It is to be understood that many advantages 'of the invention are attained if nat-ended cutter heads or cutter heads of convex or other shapes are used but the concave formation is considered preferable becauseof the stretching eifect thus secured,

The shaver may be so designed, with respect to the depth of cut-back of the slots at the corners 23, 23 in the cutter head I8,Aand with respect to the amount of suction produced by the fan 4I, as to give the user thereof asmooth, even' shave with no stubble showing above the normalsurface of the skin. By the use of the present invention, due to the lack of sharp comers at the leading edges 23,- 23 ot .the .cutter head I8, and because it is not Y necessary to apply excessive pressureto the skin.

the danger oi the latter'. is eliminated.-

normal healthy condition.

lModizcations of the invention mayberesorted to without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is: A 1. A motor-operated shaver comprising a motor, a cutter-head including an inner motor-operated movable cutting element, said cutter-head having a ilxed concave outer cutting element, and means. for maintaining suction at said cutterhead, the con'cavity4 of said outer cutting element being so formed and arranged that said suction will draw the skin therein for the purpose described'.

' 2. A motor-operated shaver comprising a motor, a cutter-head including an inner motor-op- 'erated movable cutting element, said cutter-head having a iixed concave outer cutting element, and

...means for maintaining suctionat said cutterhead, the concavity oi said outer cutting element being so formed and arranged that said suction will draw the skin therein for the purpose described, said means comprising a suction Ian in said shaver operable by said motor.

3. A motor-operated shaver comprising a motor, a cutter-head including a relatively xed outer cutting element and an inner motor-operated movable cutting element, said outer cutting element including 'a concave cutter-plate, and means for maintaining suction inA said cutter-head, the

' concavity of said cutter-plate being so formed and arranged that said suction will draw the skin therein for the purpose described. 4. A motor-operated shaver comprising a motor, ac'utter-head including a relatively xed outer cutting element and an inner motor-operated movable cutting Jelement yenclosed within said outer cutting element, said outer cutting element including a concavecutter-plate, and means for maintaining suction in said cutter-head, the concavity of said cutter-plate being so formed and arranged that said' suction will'draw the skin therein for the purpose described.

5. A motor-operatedy shaver comprising a motor, a cutter-head including a relatively ilxed outer cutting element and an inner motor-operated movable cutting element enclosed within said' outer cutting element, said outer cutting element including a .concave cutter-plate, said outer and inner cutting elements having openings or-slots therein adapted to receive the hairs tobe sheared,

and means for maintaining suction in said cutterhead, the concavityoi.' said cutter-plate being so formed and arranged that said suction willdraw the'skin therein for the purpose described.

6. A motor-operated shaver comprising a motor, a v'cutter-'head including a motor-operated movable cutting element enclosed within a relaand inner shearing tively ilxed outer cutting element, said outer cutting element including a concave cutter plate, slots in said outer cutting element and in said movable cutting element adapted to 'receive the hairs to be sheared, said slots being cut back a' portion from the face 'of said cutter-head, and

means for maintaining suction at said cutter-head uirough said slots and said cut-back portions4 thereof. l f.

7. A motor-operated shaver comprising a motor, a cutter-head including a motor-operated movable cutting element enclosed within a relatively iixedouter cutting element, said outer cutting element including a concave cutter plate, l

slotsin said outer cutting 'element and in said movable cutting element adapted to receive the hairs to be sheared, said slots being outback a portion from the face of said cutter-head, said cutter-head having substantially rounded corners at the leading stroking edges thereof, and means -ior maintaining suction at said cutter-head slots being adapted to receive the hairs to .be,

sheared, means'connectedwith said vmotivating f unit for moving said inner shearing cutterl to shear said hairs, and means operated by said `mo tivating unit for creating a suction within said hollow cutter-head through said slots, in the outer and inner shearing cutters, the concavity of said cutter-plate being so formed and arranged that said suction will draw the skin therein for the Vpurpose described. v

9. In a motor-operated shaver, -a hollow casing having a motivating unit therein, a hollow cutterhead removably ilxed on said casing, said cutterhead comprising a ilxed outer shearing cutter able inner shearing cutter, said cutter-head having substantially'rounded corners at the leading stroking edges'thereof, a series of slots in theshearing plate of said outer shearing cutter, and

a corresponding series of slots in the adjacent shearing plateof said inner shearing cutter, said slotsbeitng adapted to.receive the hairs to be sheared,A means connected with said motivating unit for moving said'inner-shearing cutter to shear said hairs, and means operated by said -motivating unit for creating a .suction withinl said l v hollow cutter-head through said slots in the outer cutters. FLETCIER L.

' having a concave cutter-plate thereon and a mov- 

